Does your soup run into your salad? Tired of "stuff towers" (cutting boards on top of mixing bowls on top of toasters)? Is your kitchen just too damn small? No need to knock down walls. It's time to upgrade the way you cook in limited space. Q&A site Stack Exchange provides some pointers.

Question:

I enjoy cooking but have a seriously small kitchen. There is only about 3 square feet of work surface and part of that is occupied by a kettle and a toaster. I have a fair amount of shelf space but still need to larder goods and plates in another room.

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The lack of space makes it almost impossible to keep the kitchen clean and tidy while cooking, with more complex dishes becoming almost impossible.

Alternative Answer: Get Clever

- Place a large cutting board over the trash can and use it as a side table.

- Use the dishwasher or oven for storage (which of course only works if you aren't going to use the appliance for its intended purpose).

- Use stackable cooling racks, such as those for cookies, to hold bowls or plates of prepped ingredients.

- If you have a double boiler, use the pans separately and then stack (sauce in the bottom pan, veggies in the top pan). Good for cooked side items that need to be put on stand-by until the main course is ready.

- Get (or make) magnetic storage tins for spices that can be stuck to the fridge or freezer (if your refrigerator is not in a spot that gets direct sunlight, which can cause the spices to lose flavor).

Alternative Answer: Cut the Sink

If your sink is small enough that you need to clean pots in your bathtub — got one of those? — then getting a cutting board that spans the sink basin shouldn't be a problem. You'll have to move it occasionally to gain access to your sink, which means you'll want it stiff and light. Epicurean's Eco Paper Series fits the bill.

Alternative Answer: Prepare!

I live in a studio with a very small kitchen. I also frequently observe my mom when she cooks meals in a tiny boat galley. All of the tips that have been previously mentioned here are excellent, and there's only one that I feel is missing:

Prepare as many things ahead of time as you possibly can!

In my mom's case, this means doing as much of the prep work as possible in her roomy kitchen at home. For me, and I expect for you, this means doing prep work in the same tiny kitchen as the 'real cooking' - but oh well.

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From just chopping vegetables to actually completing any dishes that don't need to be served immediately, doing prep work ahead of time means you can work on one element of the meal at a time, so you can spread out a little bit - even in a tiny kitchen. This might mean you're spending all afternoon in the kitchen working on dinner, but it will feel more relaxed and it will lack the clutter that can make cooking feel like a chore.